1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a vehicle control apparatus for automatic steering control.
2. Related Art
A known vehicle control apparatus capable of automatic steering control, as disclosed in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open Publication No. 2007-22134, detects white lines from a captured image forward of or behind a vehicle mounting the apparatus therein (also referred to as the own vehicle) and performs the automatic steering control such that the vehicle keeps traveling near the middle of a lane bordered by the detected white lines. When a white line having a sequence of protruding objects thereon serving as a lane separator is detected, the steering is controlled so that the vehicle travels in the lane while keeping an intended lateral position of the vehicle along the lane width direction offset farther away from the white line as compared to cases where no such white lines are detected.
With this configuration, however, since the intended lateral position of the vehicle is offset away from the protruding objects (regarded as obstacles) regardless of the presence of an occupant sitting in a front passenger seat or the like, a vehicle traveling in a lane adjacent to the own lane (the lane in which the own vehicle is traveling) on the front passenger seat side, or an obstacle, such as a wall, approaching the front passenger seat, may make the occupant sitting in the front passenger seat feel uncomfortable or stressed.
In consideration of the foregoing, it would therefore be desirable to have a vehicle control apparatus for automatic steering control of a vehicle, which can reduce discomfort or stress on occupants.